The Best Explanation of Why Bernie’s Socialism Is Doomed To Fail

The main reason Socialism doesn’t work – and what the “Berniacs” seem to ignore – is that it’s a system designed to work against human nature.

Socialism is built on the theory that not only are all people created equal, but that equality must be enforced by the State. That the merits and abilities of individuals are second to the ultimate value and control of the whole.

Socialists claim to work against “stratification,” the idea that some people have a higher social status in society than others. Doctors, lawyers and college professors have a higher social status. Sometimes it’s through pay and sometimes it’s merely the esteem that’s granted on the position itself.

Stratification gives different levels of “status” to different positions. It’s something that Socialists reject. Why should a McDonald’s burger flipper make less than a physician, they argue. Both jobs require labor, both jobs are work and both jobs have value.

But this is a warped view of how society works.

Stratification is a “functional necessity,” as two prominent sociologists demonstrated 70 years ago. Because jobs that are the most difficult in society – or require the most training – or are the most important – require a compensation higher than the rest of the population, you have a difference in status, or what’s called “stratification.”

Socialists think that this is nonsense. They think that work and merit are meaningless when balanced against the needs of the “group.”

In addition, they argue that the rewards that are built into our “stratified system,” where people receive benefits from working hard and achieving a higher status – rewards like higher pay – are archaic and inherently unfair.

But they ignore a common feature of human beings: We work to benefit ourselves and the people around us. We work harder with the expectation for higher status, i.e., higher pay.

Without that incentive – without that built-in reward structure inherit in a stratified system – economic progress falls apart, as nobody would strive to be better. The “reward” of benefiting society as a whole just doesn’t cut it.

If Bernie and his fanatics get their way, it will be another step we’re taking toward a society – and a state – that doesn’t reward success or merit or hard work, but instead tries to flatten our necessarily stratified system into something where nobody achieves, nobody gets ahead and a reward system based on merit and hard work is dead.

Testimonial

The Federalist Papers, the education you bring to your readers is immeasurable. Now more than ever, Americans need to learn about their country’s founding and its founders. Keep up the good work. - Buddy Novotney

Testimonial

The Federalist Papers admins do a wonderful job of going through our founding documents (and sometimes others) to find pertinent, timely and always thought-provoking pieces. I have discovered a new admiration for Patrick Henry from their work! Thank you, admins! - Lisa Hoppman